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Dolphins: For the Fans

By Times staff writers

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 7, 2001

STADIUM: Pro Player Stadium.

CAPACITY: 75,192.

TICKETS: Individual tickets are available for $20, $27, $42 and $43.. Contact the ticket office at (888) FINS-TIX or (305) 573-TEAM.

PARKING: Available in lots surrounding stadium. Prices vary.

DIRECTIONS: From Tampa-St. Petersburg, take I-75 south across Alligator Alley to Palmetto Expressway (826). Go east to 27th Avenue and turn left (north). Stadium is about 1.5 miles on the right.

RADIO: No regular programming.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Never mind what Dave Wannstedt didn't do in his long, unhappy stay as the Chicago Bears head coach. He appears to be the right fit in Miami. He also found something that eluded Don Shula in his final decade and Jimmy Johnson in his unsatisfactory hitch: a running game.

One of the wonders of the salary cap/free agency era is that Wannstedt found a way to win the championship of the AFC East with Jay Fiedler (not to be confused with Dan Marino) as his starting quarterback. The coach will be hard-pressed to pull a similar pigskin out of a helmet this year, but it's possible.

Street & Smith Pro Football

Last season the Dolphins won their first AFC East division title since 1994. They won 12 games overall, including a stirring comeback against Indianapolis in the first round of the playoffs.

But their season ended abruptly and harshly the next week in Oakland with a 27-0 loss. It was just like 1999 ... and '98 ... and '97. As the Dolphins look forward to the 2001 season, they hope for bigger and better things.

"We're not in a position where we're rebuilding," coach Wannstedt said. "We're trying to make the next step."

A logical next step would be the AFC Championship game, a level the Dolphins last reached in 1992. Despite the much-heralded arrival of Jimmy Johnson in 1996, the team never was a Super Bowl threat under his direction. Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season without winning a championship ring in 17 seasons with the team.

Marino's Dolphins were built around offense; these Dolphins are built around a defense that could be among the NFL's best. The offense is asked to do just enough to survive. With five defensive players voted to the Pro Bowl last season and only one from the offense, it's no secret the Dolphins are using a Baltimore-like, defense-first approach.

They hope it translates into the team's first Super Bowl win since 1973.

The Sporting News

The 2000 Miami Dolphins proved there is life after Dan Marino after all. But even by finishing 11-5 and winning their first AFC East title since 1994, the Dolphins still got stomped in the second round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season. In hopes of taking the next step, Miami entered the offseason focused on upgrading an erratic offense and re-signing its top young players.

The Dolphins appear to have succeeded on both accounts, adding wide receiver James McKnight (Dallas) and Dedric Ward (Jets), quarterback Ray Lucas (Jets) and right guard Todd Perry (Chicago) via free agency while also inking cornerback Patrick Surtain, weak-side linebacker Derrick Rodgers and kicker Olindo Mare to multiyear contract extensions.

"I would consider us the (divisional) favorites because we are the defending AFC East champions," Surtain said. "We have most of our players back, so we should do the same thing come (this) year."

Athlon Sports

JJ and Marino retired because the Fish had no ground game. Who knew RB Lamar Smith would rush for 1,139 yards (16 TDs) in 2000? Nice break for Dave Wannstedt, who rode Smith's legs and a stone-cold D (No. 6 in the NFL) to Miami's first AFC East title since '94. But their anemic offense (26th in the NFL) kept the Dolphins from surviving deep into January. QB Jay Fiedler started the season strong but tailed off. His numbers -- 57.1-percent, 2,402 yards, 14 TDs, 14 INTs -- scream for more big plays and fewer dumb ones (hello, Ray Lucas). But that D is sick: Goal-line stands, picks and helmet-popping hits are how the Dolphins win. ... Problem is, winning seasons beget tougher schedules, and these Fish will have to swim in deeper waters.

ESPN, The Magazine

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